It was an amazing game to conclude an amazing tournament.
The United States fell to Canada 3-2 in the final of the 4 Nations Face-Off on Thursday with an overtime winner from Connor McDavid at the 8:18 mark of the extra frame. McDavid’s OT winner came on a top-corner snipe from the high slot after a pass out of the corner from Mitch Marner, who was promoted back to the top line midway through the title game.
Here are three takeaways from the game for a United States program that hasn’t won a best-on-best tournament since the 1996 World Cup.
Injuries Lead to “What Ifs”
As discussed earlier, there was some concern about the impact injuries would have on the United States in the final. Unfortunately, one scenario played out during the game when Matthew Tkachuk appeared to re-aggravate the injury he sustained in the first matchup, which saw him play just 6:47 on the night.
Related: USA Injuries May Affect Game Plan vs. Canada in 4 Nations Face-Off Final
The United States was also depleted on the blue line, missing a few key pieces: Quinn Hughes, who was forced to sit out the tournament due to injury, and Charlie McAvoy, whose ailment held him out of the final. The team felt both losses throughout this tournament. Still, it was particularly obvious against Canada’s best, especially when they got Cale Makar back after he missed the first game due to illness. Makar had the other assist on McDavid’s overtime winner.
McAvoy’s injury also forced Zach Werenski to play on his opposite side. While he still found opportunities to jump into the offensive zone to spark a scoring chance, his overall play was slightly less than what we saw in the teams’ first matchup. Werenski did get an assist on Jake Sanderson’s goal and led all players in points for the tournament, but having a player out of his natural spot was not an ideal situation for the United States.
Binnington Shines
Going into the tournament, most pundits felt that while the United States and Canada were basically even when it came to forwards and defensemen, the goaltender matchup between Connor Hellebuyck and Jordan Binnington was very much in favor of the Americans. While Hellebuyuck played very well throughout the tournament, Binnington was brilliant in goal for Canada, making 31 saves in the winning effort despite being viewed as the team’s biggest weakness. He made multiple highlight reel saves in overtime, first robbing Auston Matthews with the blocker and then flashing the leather on Brady Tkachuk.
JORDAN BINNINGTON! ARE YOU KIDDING! ????????????
— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) February 21, 2025
JORDAN BINNINGTON! INCROYABLE! ????????????#4Nations pic.twitter.com/RxYm1MVWQm
Binnington’s play drew praise from everyone on Team Canada, including Brad Marchand, who stated that Binnington was the sole reason the Canadiens won, and Connor McDavid, who stated, “Binner’s a winner. That’s ultimately what it is. He’s won a big game in this building before in (Game 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final). He’s played in big moments. The moment doesn’t get to him.”
Both goaltenders held strong throughout the game, sending the game to overtime to set up McDavid’s magical moment as Canada’s best beat America’s best.
The Sport of Hockey Was the Real Winner
While Canada did win the tournament, the real winner coming out of the 4 Nations Face-Off was the sport of hockey itself. We hadn’t seen true best-on-best hockey in nine years. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and that has been a part of it. But in the end, it was the world getting to see hockey’s big names, such as McDavid, Matthews, and tournament MVP Nathan MacKinnon, play against each other in meaningful games.
In the end, the 4 Nations Face-Off will go down as a major landmark moment for hockey and a vivid reminder that nothing grows the game more than best-on-best competition. Take the politics out of it, and it would have been a near-perfect event. American hockey fans surely remember Mike Eruzione and the “Miracle on Ice,” as Canadians will surely remember Paul Henderson in 1972, Mario Lemieux in 1987, or Sidney Crosby in 2010. These are moments that country vs. country brings to a larger audience than a team vs. team could ever do.
These kinds of events also bring a communal aspect to those involved that has been happening less and less over time as streaming has become a more popular option. Gone are the days when 60% of a country, such as what happened during the MASH finale in 1983, watch games on TV. However, as ratings for the first game demonstrated, the 4 Nations Face-Off allowed the viewers to watch, discuss, and share the games together.
Fortunately, fans will not have to wait nine years to see best-on-best hockey again. In early February, the NHL announced that it would send players to the 2026 Olympics in Milan, and the plan is to alternate the World Cup of Hockey and the Olympics every two years afterward.
This means that fans of American hockey and hockey fans of other nations will only have to wait a year to see if they can unseat Canada as the best hockey team in the world.
